1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device that makes it possible to attach and remove a vehicle component of a generally flat shape, such as a windshield of a vehicle, such as a motorcycle, to and from a vehicle main body, such as a vehicle body.
2. Description Related Art
As the device for attaching and removing a vehicle component to and from the vehicle, conventionally, the vehicle is a motorcycle provided with a vehicle main body or a vehicle body of the motorcycle, a generally flat-shaped component or a windshield, and a locking device for removably attaching the windshield to the vehicle body.
The locking device is provided with an engage-stopping member that removably engage-stops the lower end of the windshield to the vehicle body and permits the windshield to turn back and forth about the engage-stopping member, and a locking member that removably attaches the middle portion in height of the windshield to the vehicle body when the windshield is turned backward.
To do the work for attaching the windshield to the vehicle body using the locking device, first the lower end of the windshield is engage-stopped with the vehicle body using the engage-stopping member. Next the windshield is turned backward about the engage-stopping member. Then, as interlocked with the turn of the windshield, the middle portion of the windshield is attached to the vehicle body with the locking member. In this way, the windshield is attached to the vehicle body, or the attaching work is over.
The conventional device described above has the following problems.
The first problem is that when the windshield is to be attached to the vehicle body as described above, first the lower end of the windshield is engage-stopped with the vehicle body using an engage-stopping member followed by turning the windshield backward about the engage-stopping member. Because the direction of the turn intersects with the flat outer surface of the windshield nearly at right angles or in the thickness direction of the windshield, the locus of the windshield turning in that direction occupies a large space. Consequently, the work for attaching the windshield to the vehicle body requires a large space.
However, in vehicles like the motorcycle, generally the components are laid out compactly and only little surplus space is left. Therefore, it is not easy to take a large space for the attaching work and the components might stand in the way of the attaching work, which might make the attaching work cumbersome.
Besides, while the attaching work first requires that the lower end of the windshield be engage-stopped with the vehicle body using the engage-stopping member, the large size and heavy weight of the windshield makes positioning of the windshield to the engage-stopping member less easy in an attempt to lift the windshield and engage-stop its lower end. Accordingly, the attaching work might become further cumbersome.
The second problem is that according to the prior art, the engage-stopping member of the locking device is positioned in the lower part of the windshield and easily visible from the front, which is undesirable because it detracts from the appearance of the motorcycle.